At the end of World War II, Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler commissioned research to build a state-of-the-art weapon inspired by Mjollnir - the hammer of the Norse god Thor. In the face of the defeat, ideology was blown to the zenith in the Third Reich.
Himmler was fascinated by Germanic antiquity since childhood. He was deeply convinced that many thousands of years before our era, there was a pre-German Aryan civilization in the area of Northern Europe. It was to give rise to all the great cultures of the ancient world:from Babylonia to Greece. It was, of course, colossal nonsense that could not be confirmed by any reliable research. But it didn't matter to Himmler. It was enough for her to tickle his "Aryan ego" that made him believe that the Germans were the descendants of the ancient Aryans - perfect people.
Ancient Super Weapon
Himmler's imagination fed on Norse mythology. For the first time he heard stories about brave Germanic gods from his father. He was fascinated by the god Thor, wielding lightning-throwing magic hammer Mjollnir. The adult Heinrich drew quite different conclusions from these ancient stories than most of his contemporaries. He considered the ancient gods to be the original Aryans. The same ones who created the ancient civilization in the northern part of Europe. In Thor's mighty weapon, Himmler saw more than a literary fantasy of ancient mythmakers. He considered that it was a real tool of destruction that could bring the Third Reich final victory over its enemies .
Although Hitler was highly skeptical of Himmler's occult and mythological tendencies, the former chicken farmer did not care. He was deeply convinced that it was magic and mythology that would bring the Third Reich the final victory (source:wikimedia commons, public domain).
As early as 1940, he gave SS researchers an order instructing them to find any cultural traces of lightning, thunder, Thor's hammer and flying hammer . He noted that he was sure that they were not simply archaic explanations of natural phenomena. On the contrary, they were supposed to testify to the existence of an ancient and highly advanced form of weapons of war that was in the possession of our divine ancestors .
Little known company
Himmler returned to the plans for the construction of electric weapons in November 1944. He commissioned his subordinates to analyze the technical possibilities of creating a modern Thor's hammer: a powerful electric weapon capable of destroying Allied radio stations, radars and other devices . There was time for this, because the Germans were already losing on each of the fronts. The Nazis needed something to reverse the bad streak of war and the rapidly approaching defeat.
An image of Thor from an 18th-century Icelandic manuscript. The Mjollnir he was holding was supposed to be, in Himmler's opinion, a miraculous weapon based on electricity. which will defeat the allies.
In mid-November, the little-known German company Elemag presented Himmler with a plan to create a weapon. It was supposed to be a device that would transform the Earth's atmosphere into a huge "remote control" that would turn off all electrical devices. In the study sent to the head of the SS, its authors wrote:
It has been stated that when the insulating properties of the atmosphere are removed, no electrical device of known design and application can operate. The current technique makes it possible to change the insulating properties of the atmosphere for the intended purpose .
The vision of tanks suddenly stopping and planes falling with their electrics turned off affected Himmler. He enthusiastically handed the concept over to the SS technical department for evaluation.
Pure fantasy
Himmler was euphoric. He told his closest associates with excitement that soon the Germans would have weapons that would eventually plunge the Allies. While the Third Reich was turning into a sea of ruins, the SS commander spoke of the impending victory. Felix Kersten, Himmler's personal physician, remembered Himmler telling him one day, “We will use our latest secret weapon soon. This will completely change the course of the war. Himmler began to drown in his own delusions.
Meanwhile, the technical experts of the SS dragged on the moment of issuing the expert opinion. Their analyzes were not optimistic, and they did not want to make their boss bad mood. Finally, on January 8, 1945, they replied:The Elemag weapon design is pure fantasy with no scientific evidence whatsoever.
Back to mythology
Himmler, in his blindness, did not acknowledge this. He ordered another technical assessment. He entrusted the task to Dr. Werner Oseberg, director of the planning department at the Reich Research Council. The opinion of the scientist and his team also left Himmler under no illusions.
Despite the high hopes of the Reichsführer-SS, the scientists were ruthless. The project of creating a weapon that could turn off all electrical appliances was a pipe dream. Himmler had to come to terms with another defeat.
According to the researchers, the construction of such a weapon was impossible at the present stage of technology development. Claims submitted by Elemag - wrote Oseberg - reveal a lack of knowledge of the relevant technological and physical processes. The resentful Himmler finally withdrew from the aborted idea. And so Thor's hammer has returned to where it always belonged - back to mythology.